World Cup: Uruguay defeat Saudi Arabia 1-0, qualify for knockout stages
ADVERTISEMENTUruguay have qualified for the next round of the World Cup after defeating Saudi Arabia 1-0.
A first-half goal from Luis Suarez was enough to see off a Saudi Arabia side who seemed determined not to be embarrassed, as they were against Russia last week.
In a game lacking in chances and intensity, the only goal came from a Uruguay corner — the Saudi goalkeeper Al Owais came for the cross but misjudged it completely and Suarez was waiting at the back post to finish into the empty net.
Saudi Arabia had lots of the ball but didn't press forward enough to hurt Uruguay and it was a fairly comfortable victory in the end.
The result means that Saudi Arabia and Egypt are out of the World Cup, while Russia and Uruguay will progress.
Five takeaways from Uruguay vs Saudi Arabia
Luis Suarez
It was a momentous day for Luis Suarez — the forward earned his 100th cap for Uruguay and he crowned the occasion with a goal. By scoring Suarez became the first Uruguay player to score in three consecutive World Cups, once again highlighting his world class ability.
Saudi Arabia performance
After their opening game against Russia ended 5-0, most thought that Saudi would struggle against Uruguay and could be blown away, but this was not the case. Saudi put up a good fight and performed well, although they never really troubled the Uruguay defence, they kept the ball well and limited Uruguay's attacking prowess. Even though they were defeated and are now out of the World Cup, they can at least take pride in their performance.
Uruguay performance
In contrast to the Saudi Arabian performance, Uruguay were disappointing. Like in their game against Egypt, they were poor and their style was extremely unattractive... but they may not be that fussed! Many Uruguayan fans do not care what style of football is played or what level the performance is at, so long as the final result is preferable.
Fans don't tolerate boring football
Some fans found the football being played by Uruguay very difficult to watch, and this led to plenty of social media activity. This just goes to show that fans want good football, boring play styles and a lack of chances really don't go down well, so hopefully, there aren't too many games like this one moving forward!
Saudi Arabia out
Saudi Arabia are now out of the World Cup having lost their first two games, with one more game against Egypt on the cards purely to see who finishes bottom of the group. Overall, it is, of course, a disappointing World Cup for both nations but they will both be looking to finish on a high and, moving forward, will want to give their fans something to cheer about.